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Date: | Mon, 2 Sep 2002 10:46:31 -0400 |
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"Paper thin" is a good description. Argonauta are known as "paper nautilus",
and A. hians is known as the "brown paper nautilus". These are
cephalopods - the class of molluscs which includes octopus, squid,
cuttlefish, chambered nautilus, paper nautilus, and Spirula. Unlike the
chambered nautilus, which has a true shell, Argonauta "shells" are actually
temporary brood chambers constructed by the female to protect the eggs.
Once they hatch, the "shell" is discarded. I thought this took place at the
surface, but I am not certain about this. Maybe someone else could comment
on this? If so, the data you provided (trawled at 60 fathoms) would be
suspect.
Regards,
Paul M.
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